Plugging touch-hole during hunting season; failed

[Timberdog]

I’ve done it successfully so many seasons.  Feather quill (sometimes a toothpick) and have stored almost 2 months, and always a big boom when ready to discharge. I intentionally haven’t killed a deer in 6 years (almost intentionally, couple of times I wished I had my scoped .270 on a couple of bucks that were surprisingly impressive (but open sights its hard to sneak a ball on target when they do “Peeky boo” at 50-60 yards; hard enough to see them In wide open woods, much less when they aren’t behind tree limbs and brush!) . 

We got a cold snap Wednesday morning...I thought I got my rifle in the truck early enough Tuesday night to avoid condensation. Nope! Been stored only 2 weeks and decided to end my restraint and ruin a young bucks day (I hunt low Deer density mountain national forest in north Georgia). And pssst...pooof! Barely enough “boom” to push the ball out the muzzle.

I could care less, I’m actually glad, not sure why I “hunt” anymore...I just love being in the woods, seeing critters even if not that often, and toting a fine rifle. And, I love the grocery store and pizza over venison...I admit it!

Just telling those that really care, it’s risky.  I don’t care and will keep plugging touchhole and storing after a hunt. Cleaning after each hunt is a labor of love, but too much of a good thing gets old!

[trailerpark]

 I do the same with a tooth pick and luckily haven’t killed a deer in 4 years.😄

[Timberdog]

For some reason I always fear I’m going to break that toothpick off and “ruin my hunt” 😂 Getting low on little feathers!

Thanks. Good to hear others could care less and it’s not just my plummeting testosterone levels or something!

[woodsbum]

Hi folks, new member here.  I have used a porcupine quill for a long time to plug the touch hole, works good.  Sort the right size, snip off the nasty point on the dark end, (don't leave it where the dog can get it) .  insert light colored end in touch hole.  Water tight and won't break off.   Woodsbum

[Timberdog]

Never seen a porcupine (some on two legs but no quills) 😂. I bet it does do good.  Stuck to the occasional feather I find here in Georgia, and toothpick when I lose them.

[smylee grouch]

Pizza over venison!   

[Darkhorse]

I use a toothpick to plug the TH. If I'm going to travel to the woods with a loaded rifle I will often break it off even with the pan so it doesn't wear a hole through my cow's knee. On occasion it has broke to short to get fingers on but it can be pushed on through into the barrel.
I personally care very much if I get that buck and will not willingly let one pass by. Maybe in a couple of years but not yet.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

[alacran]

Some of us are hunters and some of us are not.

[Fyrstyk]

I use a small piece of rubber inner tube to wedge against the touch hole with the pan closed.  Has worked for me for several years, even when the gun had been loaded for 2 months it still went bang.  However, I do store my loaded rifle in a cabinet in my garage where the temps change slowly and are close to ambient outside temp.

[bob in the woods]

I use a partridge feather to plug the vent. I've never had a failure to fire when hunting that could be attributed to the vent or pan or main charge. So far the reliability has been astounding , however I'm meticulous about checking everything before I head out.  The only problem I've ever had was having a main spring snap when preparing to shoot a nice buck.  That was in minus 20 temps and I figure a once in a lifetime event .    I hunt for the meat. My wife prefers game over any store bought stuff.

[Eric Krewson]

I soak the tip of a toothpick in superglue, it ain't going to break.

[Not English]

Eric, that's a good idea. I've always used a toothpick. I usually snap it off at the outside edge of the pan so I can close the frizzen to protect the toothpick when the gun is cased.

[Darkhorse]

I use a partridge feather to plug the vent. I've never had a failure to fire when hunting that could be attributed to the vent or pan or main charge. So far the reliability has been astounding , however I'm meticulous about checking everything before I head out.  The only problem I've ever had was having a main spring snap when preparing to shoot a nice buck.  That was in minus 20 temps and I figure a once in a lifetime event .    I hunt for the meat. My wife prefers game over any store bought stuff.

My once in a lifetime event occurred shortly after daylight one spring morning. I had heard 2 gobblers sounding off in this big hardwood bottom, and I was only waiting for flydown to see which direction they would travel. I finally got my direction and ran down some old logging roads that ran beside the bottom. I knew the tree I wanted, a huge oak with high roots. And I beat them to it. I listened to them gobble as they moved towards me and I gave a couple of soft yelps to help them along.
As they grew near I cocked my rifle....and heard a sharp snap, and the hammer was just flopping around. My mainspring had broken, first and so far only time.   So when they came out of the bushes, the big one all puffed up and in the lead all I could do was watch the show.

[Eric Krewson]

I mark my hardened toothpicks with a red sharpie, I may have a half dozen in my possible bag.

Before I hardened them I had a couple break off in the touchhole.

I drove 50 miles to a management area and sat all afternoon with a buck chasing a doe all around me but I never had a clear shot. I had pulled my toothpick when I sat down or so I thought. I did but not the tip that I found later was broken off in the touchhole plugging it. My gun wouldn't have gone off if I did get a shot. Makes you fee kinda' stupid to find such things.

Another time I apparently left too much toothpick sticking out of my pan and bumped it on something as I headed into the woods turkey hunting. The toothpick broke off flush with the flash hole liner. Nothing in my arsenal could get it out including a leatherman tool. I ended up sharpening a stick and poking the toothpick end into the barrel clearing the white lightning liner.  When I fired my gun at home to clean it after I got home it went off just fine.

[alacran]

You know a cows knee goes a long way to keep moisture out of your pan. Also a plastic, there I said it dental pick also works great.

[Robby]

One morning it started raining so hard I took the plastic grocery bag that held my sandwich, tied it around the whole lock area and held the gun so that the lock was under my arm pit. I was determined to ride it out and had thoughts like, will this even keep it dry, and it's raining so hard I think when the flint opens the frizzen the primer will be soaked before the spark gets there, yes , it was raining that hard. Well, I got a chance to test out my theories and doubts, as I unwrapped the bag, quickly took aim and was surprised as all get out when it went off. Yes, I got the deer and enjoyed every miserable moment of the hunt, Ah, youth (I think I was only sixty at the time), determination, and the spirit of the hunt spell Success even if you come home empty handed.
Robby

[Jeff Murray]

I have used toothpicks trimmed on both ends to reduce the likely hood of breaking off in the touchhole.  I soak them in sealer to reduce swelling when wet.  (once had a ramrod go useless for several hours in a frog choker)  If it is "raining" as described above, I now carry the rifle in a light treated canvas case that goes past the wrist.  Keeps the water off the lock area and muzzle.

[Stoner creek]

Don’t hunt in the rain!!! I have a big long list of reasons why, the main one being it ain’t no fun.

[smylee grouch]

Yes and it's hard to find blood trails too.

[Daryl]

Yes and it's hard to find blood trails too.

Years ago, Taylor & I were hunting down the Blackwater (out of Prince George) & I shot a, 18 month old (called 2yr old) spike horned young bull moose. He dropped at the shot, then got up and ran with his mom. We gave them about 15 minutes, then took up the trail.  The foliage was wet from the dew- everything was wet and the little leaves on the ground foliage were also wet, but were red in colour due to the season.  The moose was dropping only the odd drop of blood, however he was "throwing" one leg oddly, and this helped in the tracking.  At times I thought I'd lost the track, only to find a single drop of blood on a tiny leaf, having to touch a lot of them then look at my finger to see it was water or blood. We finally caught up to them after an hour or so of tracking and another shot made - and down.
Tracking in the wet with red leaves, is VERY difficult.

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

I usually leave the gun locked in the vehicle overnight.  Just let it stay cold.  I have also brought them indoors encased in a padded case.  I figure the padding insulates the cold gun and allows a gradual warm-up so condensation doesn't accumulate.  But I can't say I've tested this enough to be confident in it.

[Daryl]

On the late season special weapon's hunt up North, we'd leave the rifles outside leaning against a tree to ensure they didn't frost up or condensate.
The 'lodge' was very warm inside and condensation happened immediately, in the form of ice, then water as the first moisture melted.
It was routinely -30? to -50F. Hard on mainsprings as well as the body. We don't do that foolishness nowadays.

[alacran]

Talked to a friend Tuesday evening. He is helping a friend on a bull elk hunt in my unit. It is a muzzleloading only unit. I had just gotten back from a Coues deer hunt, or I would have been helping out also.
Tuesday morning the pair came up on what I'm told was a massive bull at 25 yards. When the fellow with the tag shot, all that went off was the cap.
 So I inquired about the prep prior to loading and it seemed that he was doing things right. I asked where they were staying, and was told they were staying in a cabin. I asked if they were leaving the gun outside in the vehicle. He said no, they were bringing it in to the warm fuzzy cabin.
 Well humidity has been running about 85% till about noon and the temps were in the low teens till about noon. They had been doing this since Friday. So they had five days of condensation coming in through the nipple. After all you would not bring a capped rifle into a cabin, nor would you transport a capped rifle in a vehicle.

[bob in the woods]

Back in the 80's I was using a cap lock for hunting. We were camped on Manitoulin Island in late November.  A friend had warned me about condensation and passed on his method of keeping his powder dry by lowering the hammer onto a piece of rubber covering the nipple.[ remove the cap 1st ]  It seemed to work pretty well.

[Daryl]

Now that I think about it, (from a long time ago) I used a piece of thick harness leather under the hammer, held on the nipple, similar to the Enfield system for Sniders.
This was to seal the powder in the barrel. No air through the nipple and none through the tight ball and patch combination.